Matthew Golden
American football player (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matthew Golden (born August 1, 2003) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Houston Cougars and Texas Longhorns and was selected by the Packers in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.
Golden in 2025 | |||||||||||
| No. 0 – Green Bay Packers | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | August 1, 2003 Houston, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 191 lb (87 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Klein Cain (Harris County, Texas) | ||||||||||
| College | |||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2025: 1st round, 23rd overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Early life
Golden was born in Houston, Texas[1] and attended Klein Cain High School, where he caught 167 receptions for 3,242 yards and 32 touchdowns, while also rushing for 112 yards and four touchdowns.[2] A four star prospect, he initially committed to play college football at Texas Christian University,[3] but later flipped his commitment to the University of Houston.[4][5]
College career
Houston
Ahead of his freshman season in 2022, Golden earned a starting spot.[6] In week 12 of the 2022 season, he brought in eight passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns in a win over East Carolina.[7] Golden finished the season with 38 receptions for 584 yards and seven touchdowns.[8] He was listed on the Walter Camp Award watchlist for the 2023 season.[9] In week 3 of the 2023 season, Golden hauled in four passes for 56 yards, while also returning three kicks for 132 yards and a touchdown, in a loss versus TCU, earning Big 12 Conference special teams player of the week honors.[10] In week 7, he returned a kick 99 yards for a touchdown in a win over West Virginia.[11]
On December 7, 2023, Golden announced that he would be entering the transfer portal.[12]
Texas
.jpg)
On December 16, 2023, Golden announced that he would be transferring to Texas.[13] In the 2024 regular season, he led the team with 49 receptions for 787 yards and eight touchdowns. Texas lost to Georgia in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship game and advanced to the College football Playoffs, beating Clemson and Arizona State. On January 13, 2025, Golden declared for the 2025 NFL draft.[14]
Statistics
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 191 lb (87 kg) | 30+5⁄8 in (0.78 m) | 9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 6 ft 4+3⁄8 in (1.94 m) | 4.29 s | 1.49 s | 2.49 s | |||||
| All values from NFL Combine[15][16] | ||||||||||||
Golden was selected in the first round with the 23rd overall in the 2025 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers. He was the first wide receiver selected in the first round by the Packers since Javon Walker in 2002.[17] Golden signed his four-year rookie contract on May 19, 2025[18] worth $17.58 million fully guaranteed.[19]
Golden made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions, catching 2 passes for 16 yards in the 27–13 win.[20] In the Week 3 loss to the Cleveland Browns, Golden had his first 50+ yard game, catching 4 passes for 52 yards and rushing 9 yards.[21] On January 10, in a Wild Card playoff game against the Chicago Bears, Golden had 4 receptions for 84 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown, the first of his NFL career, in a 31-27 loss.[22]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career High |
